Just past midnight and the house was completely still except for my puttering. The kids were sleeping over at their dad's and I learned he'd just dropped Audrey off at her friend Susie's to finish a sewing project she had counted on having me turn in for her on Monday, since she would be leaving for Las Vegas in the morning right after she came back from Susie's. Audrey's sewing machine had a broken foot pedal and the one I bought to replace it was already sputtering badly after only a week's use, so Audrey has been staying over at Susie's quite often in order to borrow her friend's super dependable Juki industrial model. It looked like I was left with the unexpected chore of packing for Audrey's trip.
I could have done this a week ago with much less stress and confusion, but back then Audrey thought she had ample time for preparation and besides, only she would know what she wanted to bring! Now I'm stuck deciding what extra clothes she would need in Las Vegas besides her "pageant attire," which was meticulously spelled out in the Miss Vietnam Global finalist welcome packet we received back in July. I had discussed with Audrey what she could put to use from her closet and even mine, but there was no confirmed round-up of the essentials because I'd deferred to her having final approval of every outfit. Now as it turned out, she would have to live with whatever I decided to put in her suitcase.
We'd originally planned to make the trip with Audrey by car, but the logistics were getting to be a headache with too many conflicts in our family's scheduled activities. My mom thought it would be simpler to have Audrey fly to Vegas ahead of us so she could begin her pageant week with less wear and tear, and I could use the three extra days in Tustin to run as many errands as needed before loading up our van to meet up with Audrey. Since JetBlue was having a summer fare promotion that allowed us to purchase a one-way ticket from Orange County to Vegas for a mere $49, it made perfect sense to heed my mom's suggestion. Audrey's trip came on the heels of her midterms, so she wouldn't have to make up any tests, but still had to catch up with a full five days of missed coursework. This was particularly challenging because her second-year curriculum mostly included hands-on, participatory classes. Audrey had stayed up very late several nights in a row trying to complete her homework and projects in advance as best she could.
Which meant, of course, that she was even more ill-prepared for the pageant than I already thought she was. We never went on any shopping trips together because Audrey couldn't take time off from her demanding schedule. I was glad we had decided early on her ao dai (Vietnamese traditional dress) and that part went pretty smoothly so Audrey could at least feel confident about one portion of the competition. Nothing else was less than awry! Her evening gown, which Audrey bought off Ebay, came just two days before she was supposed to leave for Vegas, and fitted as poorly as one could imagine. The fabric was rumpled and flimsy; there was an errant fabric fold in front of the dress that looked like a small kangaroo pouch; and the thigh-high slit designed to show off some legs actually traveled upward to reveal much more than intended. Audrey was still in love with the dress and wanted to salvage it by attempting some last-minute DIY alterations, but I was adamant we couldn't risk a wardrobe malfunction from which I believed no one could ever possibly recover! Besides, Audrey had more than a few gowns in her closet that looked beautiful on her, except her main grouch was that she didn't get to pick her ao dai (I'd shopped for the fabric with my mom and aunt), and now the evening gown of her choice was about to be vetoed as well.
Audrey's clothes for pageant week were either pre-owned or bought off the rack on sale, except for her ao dai, which was custom-fitted by the same seamstress who made beautiful wedding dresses for my aunt's daughters. Audrey was naturally thrifty, and insisted on borrowing what she could. As an example, for check-out day, on which the contestants were supposed to wear floral dresses to their goodbye breakfast, she decided on a cute little number on loan from her friend Ellen. The girls were required to wear different versions of a "pageant uniform" each day... an above knee-length solid white dress upon check-in, a gray, black or white business suit for orientation, a red dress for rehearsal and photo shoot the next day... plus enough workout clothes for exercise and dance practice. I understood the practicality and wisdom behind the "uniform" requirement in a pageant environment, but Audrey chafed at having to buy clothes she probably wouldn't wear again after the event. We were actually advised to avoid blowing our budget on pageant daywear and make use of what the girls already had in their wardrobe, but it was difficult to make do when the requirements were rather specific. It was extremely unlikely that a hip California teenage girl would just happen to have a red or white velour sweatsuit in her closet, unless it was Juicy Couture sweats, and Audrey never did care for that brand.
Which meant, of course, that she was even more ill-prepared for the pageant than I already thought she was. We never went on any shopping trips together because Audrey couldn't take time off from her demanding schedule. I was glad we had decided early on her ao dai (Vietnamese traditional dress) and that part went pretty smoothly so Audrey could at least feel confident about one portion of the competition. Nothing else was less than awry! Her evening gown, which Audrey bought off Ebay, came just two days before she was supposed to leave for Vegas, and fitted as poorly as one could imagine. The fabric was rumpled and flimsy; there was an errant fabric fold in front of the dress that looked like a small kangaroo pouch; and the thigh-high slit designed to show off some legs actually traveled upward to reveal much more than intended. Audrey was still in love with the dress and wanted to salvage it by attempting some last-minute DIY alterations, but I was adamant we couldn't risk a wardrobe malfunction from which I believed no one could ever possibly recover! Besides, Audrey had more than a few gowns in her closet that looked beautiful on her, except her main grouch was that she didn't get to pick her ao dai (I'd shopped for the fabric with my mom and aunt), and now the evening gown of her choice was about to be vetoed as well.
Audrey's ao dai was fashioned with a traditional high neck
In this picture of the hem, you could see the fuchsia lining. We didn't think fuchsia would work under gossamer red lace flecked with gold sequins. It seemed like overkill, but in the end we went with the fabric shopkeeper's recommendations.
Audrey's back-up ao dai fabric in pink French lace with brocade embroidery
The only item Audrey "splurged" on besides her evening gown, which was actually well-priced, I thought – was a BCBG interview jacket to be paired up with a plain black skirt she already owned. Audrey didn't want to borrow my business suits for Interview Day because although we wore almost the same size, she preferred her clothes tight-fitting whereas I liked mine less body-conscious, which translated to practically dowdy by any teenager's standards! She also declined my offer to loan her my jewelry, opting for costume pieces she had purchased at dimestore prices instead. I had to agree that practicality suited her style and besides, Audrey has always had a talent for accessorizing.
At 9 AM, I had Audrey's suitcase, carry-on, and handbag packed, labeled, and ready to go. I fully expected her to come home, hand me her sewing project, throw in her contact lense case and make-up bag, and get in the car to be driven to the airport. Unfortunately, I found out that Audrey needed to bring her work to Las Vegas with her, including a huge array of sketching supplies, patterns, ruler and tools... even hardcover textbooks. We quickly looked up JetBlue's baggage policies, which dictated an overweight baggage fee of $50 - $100 depending on the poundage exceeding the first 50. I briefly considered Audrey's plea of paying the overlimit fee herself, but quickly jettisoned the idea when I remembered that her $49 bargain plane ticket cost less than the baggage penalty itself! To make place for Audrey's school supplies, I took out some of her "optional" daywear, her VIP party dress, ao dai, and evening gown (which secretly thrilled me because I fully intended to shop for another gown to replace what I considered a defective garment). I figured Audrey wouldn't need her clothes until the end of the week when the evening gown & ao dai photo shoot/pre-judging was scheduled to take place (according to the pageant syllabus), and we'd already be in Vegas with her Wednesday afternoon. Having her formal gowns jostle around the suitcase with other heavier items probably wasn't a good idea anyway. Besides replacing full-sized toiletry bottles with their sample-sized counterparts, I also threw back two pairs of shoes (which elicited a groan from Audrey), and attempted a last-minute transfer of bulky gadgets such as hairdryer and curling iron from Audrey's suitcase to her carry-on. Audrey reluctantly agreed to leave her buggy laptop behind to be repaired, which took off a few more pounds. Even with all those concessions, having no scales at home, I couldn't be sure that was sufficient to bring the suitcase under JetBlue's weight limit, but told my mom she should feel free to dump a few more items at the airport check-in if necessary.
Later from LGB (Long Beach airport), my mom called to gleefully report that the suitcase had weighed in at just above 49 lbs without any additional intervention. Whew... I was so proud!
At 9 AM, I had Audrey's suitcase, carry-on, and handbag packed, labeled, and ready to go. I fully expected her to come home, hand me her sewing project, throw in her contact lense case and make-up bag, and get in the car to be driven to the airport. Unfortunately, I found out that Audrey needed to bring her work to Las Vegas with her, including a huge array of sketching supplies, patterns, ruler and tools... even hardcover textbooks. We quickly looked up JetBlue's baggage policies, which dictated an overweight baggage fee of $50 - $100 depending on the poundage exceeding the first 50. I briefly considered Audrey's plea of paying the overlimit fee herself, but quickly jettisoned the idea when I remembered that her $49 bargain plane ticket cost less than the baggage penalty itself! To make place for Audrey's school supplies, I took out some of her "optional" daywear, her VIP party dress, ao dai, and evening gown (which secretly thrilled me because I fully intended to shop for another gown to replace what I considered a defective garment). I figured Audrey wouldn't need her clothes until the end of the week when the evening gown & ao dai photo shoot/pre-judging was scheduled to take place (according to the pageant syllabus), and we'd already be in Vegas with her Wednesday afternoon. Having her formal gowns jostle around the suitcase with other heavier items probably wasn't a good idea anyway. Besides replacing full-sized toiletry bottles with their sample-sized counterparts, I also threw back two pairs of shoes (which elicited a groan from Audrey), and attempted a last-minute transfer of bulky gadgets such as hairdryer and curling iron from Audrey's suitcase to her carry-on. Audrey reluctantly agreed to leave her buggy laptop behind to be repaired, which took off a few more pounds. Even with all those concessions, having no scales at home, I couldn't be sure that was sufficient to bring the suitcase under JetBlue's weight limit, but told my mom she should feel free to dump a few more items at the airport check-in if necessary.
Later from LGB (Long Beach airport), my mom called to gleefully report that the suitcase had weighed in at just above 49 lbs without any additional intervention. Whew... I was so proud!
Before leaving, Audrey quickly jotted down her friend Anais' phone number for me. I was supposed to meet her at the Anaheim train station early Monday morning with Audrey's design project so Anais could take it to class in L.A. and turn it in. After arriving in Vegas, Audrey called to remind me that I should wear a pre-selected outfit that would allow Anais to easily spot me in the crowd (we've never met before). We decided on me wearing black from head to toe with several long gold chains around my neck. I knew I would look really out of place among the early morning train commuters, but hey, the main idea was that I could be recognized instantly, and I seriously doubted if I would meet anyone at the station who cared if I looked like a ridiculously overdressed hobo!
No comments:
Post a Comment